BLUES BULLETIN - November 30, 2007

Yo! Blues lovers -

I’m taking an informal poll. What’s your preference for BYOG 2008 - spring, summer or fall? Send me your preference - I’m posting all preferences at Beta Pi Blog, Vol.2007, No.58. When all preferences are in, the BYOG Steering Committee (BYOG 2007 Attendees and wives) will confer, deliberate and render a proclamation.

It dawned on me that interest in BYOG is not limited to Tick-a-lors. Here’s why:

Matt Blankenship has a close guitar friend (non-ATO) / professional musician who plays blues festivals, who might be into BYOG;

Jack Muench tells me of a guitar friend he has who would be into BYOG;

Frank Biller - guitar journeyman extra ordinaire - has told me of a guitar chum he knows who could dig in to BYOG;

Chester Brewer is Clarksdale born and raised, he’s a natural for BYOG;

Elizabeth - Chet’s younger sister, and fabulous honorary ATO "Little Sister" (not to mention that she’s "hot") is into the blues, and she (and husband) live in West Point, Mississippi (a scant 3 hours? from C’dale);

Bob Aylward is Pace, Mississippi born and raised, he loves the Delta and the blues, and he actually showed up at Abe’s Bar-b-que to party-down with us! Q!

Frank Collins was ever-so-close to committing to BYOG, and his taste for blues is impeccable;

Other Tick-a-lors who have expressed interest in BYOG: XBG Neal Crenshaw, Art Landry, Mark McGann, Travis Parr, Bob Smoot, Steven Starr, GeorgeTomlinson, Rod Yanker

Odie and Lillie, our Jack Russell Terriers, attended BYOG - and they loved it! This was possible only because Ann and I stayed at our blues apartment (where pets are welcome). Unfortunately, Big Pink Guesthouse, Little Pink and Honey Hill all have "no pets" rules. However, Honey Hill has a barn - so if you are cool with your dogs staying nights in the barn - bring ‘em. Sorry, no meerkats or ferretts. Vinny, Fuad has been banned.

Did you know? Other Tick-a-lor’s play instruments:

Marc Darling (the musical whip-that-spins),

George M-LINK Ford (animalistic grunting rhythms),

Matt Hart (human flame),

Tison Keel (kazoo),

Ken Linden (subliminal blues vocals, a la Mr. Subliminal),

Clyde Noel (donuts for musicians),

Ben Pedigo (banjo extra ordinaire, mandolin, guitar, vocals - the man does it all!),

Jeff Perout (the Wet Willie),

Bill Price (boom box),

Mark Reed (the foot),

Chris Regas (stompin’),

Boss Stien (musical wads-o-cash),

Dick Stoner (gets stoned!),

Earl "Judge" Stover (hambone),

Sean "MR. G-MAN" Walsh (musical guns),

Chad "Waz" Weiss (submarine saxophone),

Schmeat (bone-a-phone),

Chuck Wharton (musical face),

David Haines (blues sarcasm)

So - we’re opening up the next BYOG to include not just wives/girlfriends of Tick-a-lors, but also friends of Tick-a-lors. If there’s a good turn-out, who knows - we may open it up to circus performers. Who was the Tick-a-lor who juggled - I forgot his name? Feel free to forward this e-mail to friends.

Larry

Beta Pi Blog, Vol.59 - All Points Bulletin Ken Mansfield

Beta Pi:

E-MAIL PUBLICATION POLICY CHANGE: This e-mail contains only the written content of "Beta Pi Blog", not the entire content. To see the entire blog, which includes pictures and links, and Archives of previous issues, you must go to Beta Pi Blog on the web by clicking on http://journals.aol.com/lasimons4law/beta-pi-blog/ .

ALL POINTS BULLETIN - KEN MANSFIELD: I tried the "kinder-gentler" approach - calling Ken by telephone - still, no e-mail address. The man, the mystery. I had this idea to send Ken a letter by U.S. Mail, and e-mail it to you guys, and I am sending it and posting it in today’s mail for delivery to Ken. Here is the letter:

November 29, 2007

Ken Mansfield

315 Taberna Circle

New Bern, NC 28562-7040

VIA E-MAIL & U.S. MAIL

Re: Ken Mansfield vs. The Internet

Dear Ken:

A few weeks (or months) ago, you and I spoke by telephone - how great it was to reconnect! I told Fotch about our conversation - and posted a blurb about you on the "blog" http://journals.aol.com/lasimons4law/beta-pi-blog/- to let our many excellent Brothers know of efforts to ""connect"" with you. Now that we are still above-ground in the ""information age"" - bottom line: what in hells-bells is your e-mail address?

Having not heard back from you, and also being in need of some mundane topic to write about - by this letter, I am invoking a blog tool known as ""All Points Bulletin"", asking the Ticks who know you to call you, at your home phone number 252-636-5547, this evening (or whenever), to wish you Merry Christmas, and to implore you to divulge an e-mail address, for old times sake. And, I am sending a copy of this letter to the Brothers instantly via e-mail, while this hard-copy will take maybe 3 days to reach you by U.S. Mail service. I personally like our mail service.

Specifically, I am asking Fotch, Buck & Vinny, Matt Hart, Mark Darling, Travis Parr, Jack Muench - and all other known Wales Tales Alumni, to make the call for this difficult challenge!

Merry Christmas, Ken! I miss you, and hope to see you soon. My cell number is 615-512-1448 - I hope you will call or e-mail me, and give me an e-mail address I can share with Tick-a-lors.

I remain,

VTL,

Lawrence A. Simons

LAS/pt

cc: Blog Roster

Beta Pi Blog, Vol.2007, No.58 - Pierce Hodnette Guest Blogmiester

Beta Pi:

E-MAIL PUBLICATION POLICY CHANGE: This e-mail contains only the written content of "Beta Pi Blog", not the entire content. To see the entire blog, which includes pictures and links, and Archives of previous issues, you must go to Beta Pi Blog on the web by clicking on

http://journals.aol.com/lasimons4law/beta-pi-blog/ .

GUEST BLOGMIESTER PIERCE HODNETTE - BYOG CLARKSDALE:

Clarksdale, Mississippi is a unique and unexpected place. Time slows to half its normal pace and the air is full of the smell of cooking Barbecue. The soundtrack is delta blues. The boon companions, Matt and Mimi B1ankenship, Larry and Ann Simons, Pierce and Cindy Hodnette, met in Clarksdale on Friday November 9th for a weekend of fellowship and exploration. The Blankenships and Hodnettes stayed at the Big Pink Guesthouse, a former ice cream factory converted to a two-story townhouse. 100 yards away were the Delta Blues Museum (highly recommended) and the Ground Zero Blues Club (owned by actor Morgan Freeman and local businessman Bill Luckett). We visited at the Big Pink, then went for supper at Abe’s Barbecue, located at the legendary crossroads of Mississippi Highway 61 and 41. The crossroads is the mythical site where blues man Robert Johnson sold his soul to the Devil in return for musical genius. At Abe’s, Larry offered up the ATO dinner prayer - Lord of Mankind - and then, in mid-feast we were joined by Bob "Arms" Aylward, who marched in to Abe’s, ordered up his plate-o-que, and joined in. Bob is the money manager for the Seattle Mariners and was in the area on family business. Bob came bearing Mariners baseball caps as gifts to each of us! Bob is truly one of the greats and it was a real pleasure to see him.

The group repaired at 9:30 to Ground Zero. On the bandstand was Big T and the Family Band. Big T the blues man was backed up by some very young guys who rocked. Particularly stunning was Omar, a 16-year-old guitarist. Roger Stolle, local owner of the Cat Head Folk Art and Music store, says Omar is a product of a program by the Delta Blues Museum in which blues men teach young school kids the art. Omar was taught to play by Big T, and now plays in T’s band. The dancing was hot and the town characters were in evidence. Roger Stolle writes on his website that "The ‘character’ to ‘normal folk’ ratio is high" in Clarksdale. Puddin’ has the three card monty concession at Ground Zero, with a table near the front. It costs five dollars to see him in action. Mr. Tater the Music Maker is a local blues man who hustled his CD’s from table to table. Tater also has tee shirts at the Cat Head with his picture on them but no writing. Pierce asked Roger Stolle how Tater gets paid. "He may have the most modest act around, but he’s the best self- promoter", said Stolle. Tater sells the tee-shirts and his CD’s at Cat Head on consignment.

The next morning the group ate breakfast at Rest Haven, a Lebanese place, then wandered around town between the Simons’ apartment 149 Delta Avenue and the Big Pink on John Lee Hooker Lane. We met a local musician, Ronnie Drew, who runs a music store and recording studio. He invited us to a chili cookoff that afternoon at the Delta Amusement Café. Live music. We went out to the Hopson Plantation, where Ann’s cousin James Butler (owner and proprietor of Hopson) showed us around. He has converted the former plantation commissary into a museum and juke joint. The place is also dotted with shotgun shacks that have been fixed up so that they can be rented - a business known as The Shackup Inn. A group of friends from Memphis had rented the shacks for the weekend and were cooking barbecue on a huge portable grill. Dogs and kids wandered around the area in front of the shacks. Each shack has electricity, a bathroom, and comes equipped with an electric guitar and amp for jamming. We had beers in the commissary and took a tour of the property with James.

That afternoon the music started at 2:00 from the back open area behind the Delta Amusement Café. The townsfolk were there, the chili could be sampled, keg beer was free, and the band cooked. Several local musicians sat in and did a few songs. All the characters, including Tater, Puddin’, and a drunk guy we saw the night before dancing with a very young very drunk girl. drunk guy at one point was playing a very out-of-tune guitar with the band, but didn’t play long. The local people were warm, welcoming and fun. Ronnie remembered us and acted like we were old friends. Puddin’ hit Pierce up for $5 to do his card trick and Cindy took pictures of the whole thing.

That evening Groundspeak, an unbelievable jazz/funk/jam band from Memphis played a set of original music for us at Little Pink, a former plantation commissary moved by Ann’s brother next to Big Pink. Little Pink is decorated with old stuff like album covers, music posters, and chocolate tins picturing Elvis in his army uniform. The band set up at one end of the big room and played to the six of us plus Ann’s mother, Lou. In this intimate setting we got to hear fantastic original music from Groundspeak’s soon-to-be-released CD. Larry was able to hire them because his son Andrew is the bass player. They have a site on Myspace. Visit, and get the CD when it comes out in the next few months.

So in one weekend we heard three live bands. Just as in New Orleans it’s impossible to get a bad meal, in Clarksdale it’s impossible to hear a bad live band. Everyone needs to go to Clarksdale. They have four blues festivals a year. Thanks to Larry and Ann for arranging the trip and for all the work they did to make it so memorable. To get a taste, google Cat Head, Shackupinn.com, or Ground Zero Blues Club. If you want to see something, a young blues artist named Olga has a video on the web that was filmed at Hopson Plantation, James Butler is in the video, serving Olga a beer at his juke joint. Go to Olga’s website www.laolga.com and there is a link to the video.

* * * * *

A short poem is in order:

Thanks to Pierce

for blog-a-roo, and to

Cindy Hodnette

for photos faboo!

HEY BRO’ - GET MORE BROTHERS’ E-MAIL ADDRESSES TO US!

VTL,

Larry Simons

Beta Pi, ‘72